


let us learn to be more

by Tobi_Black



Series: Let Us 'verse [5]
Category: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rise of Empire Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Clone Rebellion, BAMF Leia Organa, Force-Sensitive Leia Organa, Gen, Post-Order 66, Strong Female Characters, Weak Women Don't Lead Rebellions, let Leia curse, troopers and 'troopers are different things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-13 18:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15371106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tobi_Black/pseuds/Tobi_Black
Summary: Leia had grown up in the shadow of the Empire, had never known different. By nature and by nurture, it didn't mean she wouldn't fight to see the Empire fall.She'd never counted on meeting soldiers from an era past and what that would reveal.





	1. Chapter 1

**13 BBY**

Leia remembered how her father’s home was watched by men in white armor by order of the Empire.

Before she learned how the Empire had ‘freed’ the galaxy by ridding them of the Jedi threat. Before she learned of how the Emperor had destroyed the true republic.

She remembered how when she’d been playing outside her father’s eye, she’d fallen and scraped her knee and one of the men had broken rank to approach her, bending down to her eye level, and asking if she was alright.

She remembered feeling safe in his presence.

~

**7 BBY**

As she grew from wild child, inspiring rebellions amongst her peers about taking care of the poor and downtrodden, to Princess of Alderaan and Senator of the Republic, Leia never stopped watching the soldiers in white that acted as the Empire’s enforcers.

Her mother told her about ‘troopers and the terrible things they’d done in the name of the Emperor.

Her father told her about troopers and the brave men that had fought for the Republic who had treated them like nothing, who had died for strangers and fought for their Jedi.

They raised her on stories of a man with a silver tongue and a mind like lightning, who’d negotiate and fight for peace against all odds, who was everything that represented the Jedi to the Republic.

Her mother told her of the 212 who would have followed that Jedi anywhere – and the Jedi that had been so betrayed by the people he’d loved and served all of his life.

She eventually noticed how beneath the edges of white armor, some of the soldiers watching her carried strips of color.

She watched for gold.

~

Leia learned to watch her father in the Senate, learn who lied, who believed in their vote, who had ulterior motives.

She learned who fought for their people against all odds.

She learned who traded the lives of their people for a better life for themselves.

She saw the worst and the best of people in the representatives she saw there.

Her father told her that she was a good reader of people.

She just trusted her gut feelings about people, whispered to her in flashes just outside of her hearing that punched her in the chest with their intensity.

~

Her father told her about a hero of the Republic, who had fought the rise of the Empire and ultimately died for it.

Told her that for all she was their daughter in spirit, in name, and they loved her like their own, she had been born of Naboo.

Leia had learned about Queen and later Senator, Padmé Amidala.

Her father said that her mother would be proud of what she was doing – and she knew he didn’t mean his wife.

~

**5 BBY**

Leia had been leaving her father’s home, to return to the Senate for an emergency meeting, when a spike of fear in the air had her twisting and ducking on instinct.

A blaster fired into where her head had been, then before she could react, a pair of white-armored soldiers stood in front of her as a third helped her to her feet.

A feeling she could not name had her reaching for the man on her left, grabbing him by his arm and tugging him to the side before he could be hit.

The man nodded his helmet once in thanks before shifting back in front of her, as the three of them escorted her out of sight.

Twice more did a gut feeling have her pulling one of the men out of the way of a blaster-shot that would have killed them.


	2. Chapter 2

The three soldiers escorted her home without a word exchanged, and her father was waiting for her once she came in the door.

The three ‘troopers didn’t leave, didn’t say a thing, just pulled off their helmets and exposed the same face.

Her father paled then narrowed his eyes, pulling a blaster out that she hadn’t known was on him, and pointed it at their faces, “What do you want?”.

One of them, looking marginally younger than the other two without silver in the dark hair at his temples, glanced at her.

Her father pulled himself up to full height and moved to stand in front of her, “What do you want with my daughter?”.

One of the other two met his eyes unflinching despite a blaster just out of reach of his face, “To protect her. The Captain protects our Padawan-Commander, and the Commander guards the General, but _our_ General was _lost._ Your daughter reminds us of the best of him.”

Her father was quiet for a moment, and she knew she was missing something beyond names for these titles – the Captain, Padawan-Commander, the Commander, the General – but she didn’t know what. Her father spoke before she could ask, “You would speak of them to me?”.

One of the two with silver in his hair gave a broken twist of his lips, and gestured to the stripe of blue circling their necks, blending well with the black, his eyes flitting to her, “The General trusted you with one of the most precious things in the galaxy to him. If anyone could be trusted, it would be you.”

Leia frowned, _knowing_ there was something here that was _important_ skating between the lines, and it was on the tip of her tongue what it was.

Her father gave his own broken twist of his lips, “Nearly fifteen years you’ve watched from a distance, what’s changed beyond this attack on her life. Why act now when you didn’t then?”

The younger looked at her, “Then, _good soldiers follow orders_ , without question and without choice. We followed our General into Hell, became _demagolka_ , and when we’d realized what we’d done, we rebelled. Some of us openly, but most of us aid Fulcrum from the shadows of the Empire. _Today_ , we acted because your daughter would have become a Jedi if not for Order 66 and we can sense it. The General’s sacrifices would be for naught if the Empire got their hands on her now.”

Leia interrupted before her father could speak again, “’She’ is right here, and would like it if you stopped making plans without including her.”

The third, the only one that hadn’t spoke up so far laughed hoarsely, and Leia could see an old, long scar across his neck, “You are certainly your mother’s daughter in more than looks.”

Her father smiled, but his eyes were sad, “She is.”

Leia pouted a bit at how they continued to talk _about_ her instead of _with_ her.

The other older clone just looked sad then, “But that is her father’s pout. He hated being ignored.”

Leia looked at her father, not once able to think of a single instance where he’d _pouted_ , then realized the clone was talking about her birth father, a man Bail had always hesitated on talking about the few times he had come up since her father had brought up Padmé.

Her father sighed, “I feared this day would come. Obi-Wan did his best to hide the ability, and I did my best to teach what skills he’d passed on to keep it controlled. But it was inevitable.”

He looked at her, “The time has come that you received real training.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> demagolka - in reference of a terrible, terrible man to the Mando'ade; someone who commits atrocities, a real-life monster, a war criminal


	3. Chapter 3

Leia wasn’t sure how her father had managed to get her excused from the Senate session she’d been trying to get to prior to the assassination attempt on her.

She’d spent her first few hours in hyperspace being in awe of him though – because he’d not just got her Excused from Congress, but had even managed to get it approved that she would go on a sort of humanitarian mission in the Outer Rim.

One that had a noted stop-over in Tatooine to pick up a slave “off the books” to hire as a new servant in her father’s home.

She couldn’t help the awe, because the whole fake mission hinged on a certain level of low-level corruption that wouldn’t be questioned _because_ it was a common sort of corruption for Senators in the Republic.

She had to move past the awe though, after the fourth time the trio of clones walked around a corner and she was already turning to address them for one reason or another, and they just got this _sad, fond_ look in their eyes.

The one she’d come to think as the eldest, and the one who spoke most often for them, leaned back against the wall almost casually once she’d turned to face them fully, “Princess, how are you holding up?”.

Leia raised an eyebrow at him, “I’m fine.”

She stepped forward then, and the three reflexively stood up straighter to parade rest, but she didn’t comment on it as she held out a hand, “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. You know my name but I don’t know any of yours.”

The man with the scar across his throat took her hand and shook it, pleased at her firm grip and gun-calluses, “Call me Trigger.”

The younger rolled his eyes and smirked at Trigger, “’Cause you’ve been trigger-happy since you were decanted.” – even after he got socked in the arm, before smiling at her – “I’m Lucky Sevens.”

Who was promptly got in a headlock by the eldest, “Because you’ve been a lucky bastard, with the devil’s own luck since Christophsis.

Trigger quietly snickered, chuckles hoarse and sputtering between noise and just attempted noise, and the eldest smiled at her from behind Lucky’s shoulder, “I’m Zero.”

Leia looked between Trigger, Lucky, and Zero, and wondered for a moment when the last time they’d spoken their names to anyone but each other but said nothing about it, “It’s nice to meet you three,” – before pointedly looking at each of them as she said their name – “Trigger, Zero, Lucky.”

Lucky grinned, “As it is you, Princess.”

Trigger plucked at the cloth they’d donned instead of their armor, something distasteful in his expression that Zero lightly smacked his shoulder for, “We can’t wear our armor without drawing attention to us the Princess can’t afford. It’s been twenty years since the public has seen our face, we stand a better chance of going unnoticed pretending to be part of her crew.”

She laughed when Trigger pulled a face at that, clearly unenthused about the plan.

Zero rolled his eyes at them, but there was something fond in his gaze that took away any hard feelings.


	4. Chapter 4

Their travel was nearly complete, when as they dropped out of hyperspace within Tatooine’s system, they were hailed by a Star Destroyer and informed they would be shortly boarded.

Trigger was gone in a heartbeat even as Zero whistled sharply at the moment of quiet panic paralyzing the crew when it wasn’t just _any_ Star Destroyer – but the _Vengeance_.

Leia went quiet, then she broke the silence seconds before Zero could speak, “Fekking nerf herder bastard of a karking beast-lover.”

Lucky gave a slow whistle, “Nice one, Princess.” – then gave a wide smile when as Zero brought the crew to rein, panic a thing of the past, she was quick to take charge.

She straightened at Zero’s shoulder, “Return the hail, inform them of our humanitarian mission and request the reason why we are being boarded.”

It was quiet as the ‘trooper on the other side responded that they were being questioned on suspicion of harboring rebels.

Leia’s eyes flashed, hardening because she and her father had been _very_ careful to hide not just their sympathies for the Rebellion, but their own key roles in it – particularly since she’d been spying on her fellow Senators for the last two years for among other things, accounts of munitions and troop movements, and her father had helped _start_ it.

Her voice was like ice as she took over the comm, “This is Senator Organa of Alderaan, en-route to Ryloth with a pit-stop at Tatooine to deliver medical supplies to the _impoverished populaces_. Alderaan has been _loyal_ , as has my family, and every crewmember or hired help has been vetted _meticulously_ before we employ them for that same loyalty, so _where_ would we have gotten these rebels?”.

The ‘trooper took a second to respond, “Lord Vader will be boarding in a couple of moments to personally check your ship.”

Zero squeezed her shoulder before she could spit something out at them, but her tone didn’t improve any as she bit out, “Understood.”

Once the comm was off, he looked past her at where Lucky was standing, giving a small nod that had the other man running off to join Trigger, “Princess, whatever you do, you _cannot_ give yourself away to Vader, _no matter what happens_. Do you understand?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, _not_ understanding why there was a special sense of urgency swirling around Zero, then sharply turned to look at her crew, “That applies to all of you as well. More than your lives depend on your acting, so no matter what happens, _do not fight them_.”

Leia eyed them until she got them to nod, “I expect you to put up a good fight for your own lives if something happens though, _but do not instigate it_.” – then held eye-contact with Zero for several long uncomfortable seconds – “That includes you, Zero, and Trigger and Lucky.”

He tilted his head in what _could_ be a nod, but his words belied that a moment later, “Up to a point, Princess.”

She glared at him, understanding that if any of the Empire’s men boarding her ship recognized him as a clone, he would be immediately outed as a deserter and taken into custody, and Zero was giving off vibes that such a thing _would not be happening as long as he still had breath_. Leia didn’t get a chance to comment though as the ship’s boarding alarms rang out through the ship, and she had to leave him there to greet the Empire’s boogey man.

It didn’t mean that she didn’t hold narrowed eye-contact the entire way out of the room with him, making sure to convey that she would _not_ be pleased if he got himself arrested.

He smirked, “Stay safe, Princess.”

Leia dare call back as she rushed at a not-so-dignified pace to meet Vader away from the cockpit.

She stood up straight and raised her chin as there was a hiss of air and the door into her ship opened a tall man in black, his heavy cybernetic breathing loud in the quiet, “What can I do for you, Lord Vader?”

He stepped forward, and six ‘troopers immediately filled out from behind him, blasters raised and sweeping across the air from corner to corner of the room for threats.

He ignored them as he looked at her, “Senator Organa,” – then he stepped forward and past her – “There is a presence here on your ship, an elusive one I have not sensed in many years.”

She was quick to follow, eyes set on his shoulder and hoping that Trigger and Lucky would stay hidden wherever they were, “You are looking for someone in specific?”.

He continued striding down the hall at a good clip, his six men moving at his side and back, always moving to keep his back guarded, “The Force moves strangely here on your ship, Senator Organa. Echoes of a force-user hiding. Echoes of people I once knew.”

She kept pace, “And you sense these people here?”.

He stopped, “Return to your people, Senator. I will find who I seek before I leave.”

Leia took the exit, quick to return to the cockpit where her droids had made their way to, and where Zero had disappeared from.

Threepio staggered forward, “Mistress, I tried to stop him, but he insisted.”

Artoo beeped and screeched, then waved a modified shock-stick at Threepio threateningly.

Despite herself, she smiled at the droid’s antics, “You always know where the action is, and proceed to race there, don’t you Artoo?” – thinking of more than a few of her ‘adventures’ as a young girl, and one or two of those where Artoo had cussed out a ‘trooper before zapping them and running away with her at his back.

Leia thought about the coincidences of Vader being here when she was going to Master Kenobi, and decided it was best to be cautious considering how worried her father had been and how much he had put in to have her traveling in secret as much as possible. She knelt in front of the cantankerous old droid, “I have a message for you to deliver, Artoo, just in case.”

The droid beeped rapidly.

She knelt in front of him, glancing to the side for one last look and hard listen for heavy breathing, then began, “Start recording. Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are my only hope, if you are getting this. I need your help, now more than ever . .”


	5. Chapter 5

Leia hurriedly stood once she was done and shooed her droids out of the room before they could look suspicious. Then she straightened her robes, brushing a bit of dirt off the white seconds before she could hear Vader’s heavy breathing approach.

Leia looked up and there he stood in the doorway of the cockpit, “Senator Organa, what do you know of Obi-Wan Kenobi?”.


End file.
